For some people, battling a large appetite is a constant challenge that endangers their health on a daily basis. When this is the case, a doctor may determine that weight loss surgery is the best course of action to help them achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Until recently, the most common surgical procedure used to achieve this goal was the minimally invasive Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG). However, a recent alternative called an Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG) provides a less invasive option that can achieve virtually the same effect. Looking at the two options in detail to compare them can help a patient have a useful discussion with a doctor about which procedure can give them control over their appetite once and for all.

An LSG procedure is an effective means to reduce the storage capacity of a patient’s stomach. This allows the patient to feel full after consuming a much smaller portion of food than before the weight loss surgery, thereby controlling their appetite and eating habits. Essentially, the doctor makes five small incisions and stitches the stomach to a narrower size in order to reduce its storage capacity. It is much less invasive than open surgery, and allows a patient to return to normal life after just a few weeks.

The patient is put under general anesthesia and then undergoes the 20 to 40 minute laparoscopic procedure. After an overnight stay to recover, the patient can return to work in a week or two, while abstaining from strenuous activity or heavy lifting for an additional three weeks after that. The result of the procedure is that the patient will eat less, feel full after less food, and experience less hunger overall. The result is healthy weight loss that will help control or eliminate medical issues due to obesity.

An ESG procedure achieves the same effect as the LSG, but much less invasively. It’s technically not a surgery, because the patient is not cut open or left with any scars. In fact, patients experience little or no pain throughout the entire process. An endoscope goes down the patient’s throat and into the gastrointestinal tract so the doctor can see. Then another device is introduced the same way as the endoscope in order to suture the front wall of the stomach to the back wall in order to reduce the storage space.

Patients are still placed under general anesthesia due to the length of the procedure, but most are able to return home the same day as the procedure and go back to work within a day or two. Since there are no incisions, there is no lifting or activity restriction afterward. Basically, a patient can go back to life as normal just a day or two later with nothing more than a sore throat.

Which Weight Loss Surgery is the Best Option?

The best person to determine which, if either, medical procedure is appropriate is a surgical professional like Dr. Marvin. He will be able to evaluate a patient’s unique situation to determine the most effective way to curb appetite and encourage healthy weight loss.

A gastric sleeve is a proven, effective weight loss surgery to fight obesity, and both the endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty and the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy are trusted methods. Contact Dr. Marvin today to discuss more about weight loss surgery and taking control of weight and health.